Typically, the output sheets from a printer are delivered out of a single portal, which might lead to individual trays for collation or a single, larger area to accumulate a stack of the sheets. The ability to deliver sheets to a variety of output stations which can be separated is not provided.
This invention achieves a combination of a printer, at least two delivery stations which can be separated, and paper transporting mechanism to deliver the paper to any of the stations selected.
The paper being transported is bowed around the inside of a duct. U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,555 to Brocklehurst discloses the movement of sheets after severing. The sheets are moved laterally along a roller to one of several stacking stations where the sheets are loaded into stacks on a support surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,487 to Wicklund discloses a lateral sheet offsetting mechanism which moves a series of upwardly bowed sheets to a slight offset position before they are moved downward into a stack. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,160,413 to Faeber and 3,622,150 to Hayes disclose initial bowing and then,flat stacking. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,907,274 to D'Amato et al and 4,494,748 to Miyashita et al disclose sheet conveying systems in which the sheets are separately conveyed over a series of stacking stations and then separately delivered to one of the several stacks.